I think I have narrowed down my choices to the T
I think I have narrowed down my choices to the Toshiba Tablet PC. Here is what I want the machine for. I am interested in animation .. 2D animation. I currently have a Athlon PC at home with a WACOM tablet that works well with the application I use for my animating ...TOON-BOOM STUDIO (TBS). My new day-job takes me on the road a lot so now I intend to get a portable system. At first I thought to play it safe and get a regular PC + the WACOM tablet combination because I know that works. But that seems bulky and after a few back and forth between the software vendor and Toshiba technical staff, I decided to get a Tablet.
First let me ask .. does anyone use this machine with TBS? If not does anyone use the tablet feature for more than text? If you do .. do you notice any type of annoying delay when using the pen? I test drive the machine at a local electronics store .. but ofcourse I wasn't running TBS. The Tecnician said that there could be some type of delay when using the tablet feature with some application. I did notice a slight delay using their generic application.. but it was not prohibiting in my view.
Second, I did notice that while the screen temperature is ok ..at the edges ..near the hinges ..it seems a bit hot. And being right-handed it will be where my drawing hand will be. Has anyone used the tablet had to cease their activity because of excessive heat?
Can I expect this thing to get hotter?
Third ..if the tablet feature does not work well .. and i still have to use my WACOM tablet. Although I would be stuck with a machine ..more expensive and wwaaayy heavier than I could have bought had I decided to buy a regular notebook ..does this machine at least perform adequately as a regular laptop?
Today I discovered that the $1,500 for the Tecra on Toshiba's site is a miss-print! And the real price is over $1,700... so I'm searching for a reliable vendor to save some bucks. I tried NewEgg, and found that while the price is less I may run into warranty issues. They sell warranty, but its not with them ..another no-name company and ...sheesh!! Thats making me uncomfortable.
Thanks for your feed back!! I am poor, if I have a computer as expensive as the car I drive it should at least work well ...right? Please try to help me wade through this issue! I go on the road next week ..and don't know if I'll spend 2 consecutive days at home for the next 4 moths! Thanks!
You might want to check with Toshiba. I think they have the option of extending the standard warranty that comes with their systems, regardless of where purchased. If the Newegg system is new with the standard 1-year warranty, you'd be able to extend with Toshiba up to a year after the purchase (i.e., within the standard warranty period).
The reading here: http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/...4&ccid=1291043 leads me to believe you can purchase an extended warranty regardless of where you purchase the original "new" machine. Of course, like mentioned above a call is best.
I'm interested in what the price mistake was. Which Terca has the error and what is the real price? I'm pretty much living on that site at the moment trying to decide on an M4 purchase for myself.
EDIT: It might be worth putting it off for a week or so until after the Yonah announcement from Intel on Thursday. If Toshiba announces a new tablet based on Yonah in the near future it could drive the prices down on their existing line. That's just my opinion.
If that announcement is pending this week .. then it makes sense to wait. Regardless of what Toshiba says it should create some deflation in price for the existing models. Dell and Toshiba for example are especially sensitive to any Intel announcements because they don't build machines with AMD. I will wait to hear what transpires. Have you guys seen, or tested any other tablet brands that competes with the Toshibas?
I looked at ACER, AVERTEC, HP, and it seems despite the issues with Toshiba (heat, weight etc) I keep coming back to this brand. !
I went to BestBuy today to look at the Gateway 2610 they have and I didn't like it at all. You can get a 2610 from Gateway with specs very close to the M4 but that 14" widescreen just looks BAD in portrait mode. Weird resolution that makes for quite a skinny portrait page IMO. I, like you, keep coming back to the Toshiba.
The Intel announcement is on Thursday (Jan 5th), or so the rumor mill says. There's another thread started tonight that talks about one persons "inside" information they received from Toshiba sales today about a new Yonah M4 replacement due in Feb. That would be worth waiting for... but it's unconfirmed. I'm hoping we'll hear more post Yonah launch.
Using a Toshiba tablet will feel EXACTLY like using a Wacom Cintiq, because they are based on the same technology. There is a small amount of LCD lag when you make quick strokes, but it's nothing that will affect your drawing. What can be a mild frustration is the distance between the nib of the stylus and the actual pixels of the screen. Because there's a layer of glass and plastic between the end of your pen and where the cursor is, from certain angles it will look like the lines you draw don't quite line up with where the nib is. The driver software included with your tablet has a calibration process that helps, but it doesn't totally eliminate the issue.
The effect is only a problem when trying to do very fine, detailed drawing. You can get around it by simply zooming in when it comes time to draw small details.
I notice the lag using their generic apllication and its not a problem. This was a demo at Best-Buys store. My worry is... will the lag increase using other applications. ToonBoom recomends the Cintiq, which is too expensive and too impractical for me. But hearing a comparison to the Cintiq is encouraging!
The situation you describe ...nib lining up with the pixels ..I really doubt will affect me. I'm not doing C-A-D (Computer Aided Design) engineering type work which requires that much proximity.
I plan to animate ..the old fashion way... by hand-drawing my character ..FRAME-by-FRAME. Which is what ToonBoom is designed for.
And the characters I draw are somewhat simplistic, more cartooney and less real life looking characters. I want the machine to help make this effort easier, to be reliable, and ofcourse portable so I can take it on the road with me. In addition ..I am sure I'll need to write a word document every now and then, or do something in excel, or surf the web, send an e-mail .. ..which is why a Cintiq is impractical for me.
I think My lines will be too broad for that offset to bother me.
Another thing thats drawing me to a tablet PC is the feel of the pen aginst the screen. The WACOM tablets are more accurate and responsive than a Tablet PC .. but the feel is different. The Tablet PC feels the closet thing to pencil on paper I've seen so far. The WACOM tablets tend to be too slick. Even if its a little off and I can notice it, all that will matter is that is stays consistently off! Using a WACOM tablet for several years now have groomed me for that.
I'll wait a few weeks to see if the Yonah announcement is made.
Thanks for the feedback.
Honestly, I think you'd do just fine with a tabletPC. I've been a digital painter for a very long time and I really enjoy mine.
Regarding slickness of the surface, you can actually get several different kinds of nibs from Wacom now to suit your preference. They have some felt-tipped ones I like a lot, which feel much more like pencil on paper.
You can order them from Wacom's site, if you don't like the feel of the ones that you get with your tablet.
You digital paint! So you must know how this machine behaves other than using to write text.
I know about the WACOM tablets thanks. I actually have 2 WACOM tablets. Bought the graphire and didn't like it. I used a paper over the surface to draw the entire time I used it. I also have the Intuos3. The felt tip is better I must admit ..but even then it did not feel as good as the pen on the tablet PC surface felt...agree?
Man ..had I known I would have started a job that places me on the road this much ..I could have saved myself a lot of money and time `.. by getting at least a note book back in August when I built my super desk-top that basically sits at home un-used! Oh-well you..live and learn
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